Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 498 A Glimpse of a Thousand Years: Severing Karma and Breaking Through Time

Time weaves a web,

A young girl and an old woman sing together.

If no one cuts off the karmic debts...

All the living will turn into white bones.

—Fragments of the Song of Time

The previously silent tomb chamber suddenly shook, and the murals on the four walls lit up simultaneously.

The next moment, the singing suddenly began.

It was mournful and somber, carrying an undisguised sadness and eeriness.

A clear, youthful voice opened the song, as if it had traveled across a thousand years, singing from the tender years of her youth:

You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old.
I regret that we didn't meet before I was married, so I could have watched the tides with you.

Before the last note faded, it was immediately picked up by another hoarse old woman's voice.

The voice was old and slow, like a candle flickering in the wind, carrying the chill of death:
I was born before you were born, I grow old before you grow old.
I regret that we didn't meet in our youthful days, so we could enjoy the moon together.

The young girl and the old woman sang in harmony.

It's as if the two ends of the same period of time overlap at this moment.

The song is full of regret, remorse, and obsession, yet it also carries a curse-like resentment that makes one's hair stand on end.

"This is……"

Xiao Jinyan gasped, fear flashing in her eyes.

He was all too familiar with it—this was the power of that high-level mystery card of the Fate system.

【The merciless passage of time through thin veils】.

It is not a simple trap, but a spell that uses song as a curse, turning time itself into a sharp blade.

boom!
An invisible line suddenly appeared from the center of the tomb.

Silent, yet clearly visible.

That line forcefully divided the entire tomb chamber into two halves, left and right.

To the left of the line—time flies by wildly!
The colors of the tomb paintings on the walls faded rapidly, the bricks and stones crumbled quickly, and the air was filled with the scent of death.

Si Ming looked down and saw that the skin on his left hand was wrinkled, the veins were bulging, and it was covered with age spots in an instant.

The nail was broken, the flesh was dried up, and the bones were clearly visible.

In just a few breaths, his left hand became like that of a seventy-year-old man.

On the right side of the line—time is flowing backward!

The tomb murals regained their freshness and luster, the cracks in the walls gradually closed, and even the dust in the air flew back onto the stone wall.

The God of Fate's right arm was rapidly shortening.

The once firm muscles gradually faded, and the wrists, which were slender, became childlike in an instant.

He watched helplessly as his palm transformed into the bones of a young boy, and then into a baby's soft forearm.

An old man and a young boy, their two arms joined together on the same body.

The extreme incongruity and horror are enough to make your heart stop.

"Damn..."

Si Ming cursed under his breath, his gaze cold beneath the mask.

The singing continued, with the voices of young girls and old women rising and falling.

The line of time, like an insurmountable chasm between life and death, firmly traps them in the very middle.

Their bodies are being mercilessly torn apart by the passage of time.

"drink--!"

Xiao Jinyan gritted his teeth and roared, his longsword trembling as he attempted to unleash the [Slaying Karma Sword Domain].

The swords rang out like a tidal wave, yet the sharpness of the sword domain could not cover the entire tomb chamber.

He quickly realized that the Sword Domain's main body was still desperately resisting the Time Worms outside the tomb.

At this moment, he had very little sword intent left to draw upon, and could no longer expand his entire domain.

The illusory image of the flying sword flickered twice, then shattered with a crash and vanished.

"hateful!"

His face was ashen, and cold sweat streamed down his temples.

"Then let's use the secondary mystery!"

He bit his fingertip hard, and blood splattered onto the sword.

"A chaotic little station in another dimension!"

A deafening roar echoed through the air, the walls of the tomb shook, and a distorted point of light appeared between the cracks.

The light spots gradually spread, transforming into the outline of a small station suspended in the void.

But the shadow of that small station had only just appeared when it was mercilessly swallowed up by the threads of time.

On the left side, the small station aged rapidly and collapsed into dust in an instant;

On the right side, the small station suddenly reverted, collapsing into the initial points of light, as if it had never existed.

In just a few breaths, the [Otherworldly Station] shattered with a deafening roar, leaving nothing behind.

The tomb shook violently, and the stone walls emitted a harsh scraping sound.

The swarming insects outside swarmed in with their shrill cries, growing ever closer, as if they were about to burst through the door at any moment.

The song still echoed in my ears, the voices of a young girl and an old woman alternating, piercing my soul.

"You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old..."

"I was born before you were born, I grew old before you grew old..."

Xiao Jinyan's face was pale, her Adam's apple bobbed, and she looked anxiously at Si Ming beside her.

Si Ming, however, simply lowered his head and looked at the Star Calamity Card in his palm.

The black card surface glowed coldly, and the numbers on the panel jumped quietly.

This is the Star Calamity power that he painstakingly "modified" back to full.

Throughout his journey, he has been as cautious as possible and has not been extravagant.

But now, he understands in his heart:
Without expending the power of the Star Calamity, there is no way to break the deadlock.

"Tsk."

He sighed softly, as if leaving behind a sense of regret for a decision that he "had to" make.

Then, a mocking sneer slowly curled up at the corner of his lips.

Beneath the white clown mask, his eyes were incredibly sharp.

For the creator, the least valuable thing is never points.

It's not a celestial disaster either.

"These are the least valuable things."

He murmured softly, slowly raising his hand, and the Book of Lies appeared in his palm.

The pages turned on their own without any wind, and a faint light filled the room, as if they had anticipated this moment.

The air suddenly became still.

Si Ming slowly raised his hand, revealing the pitch-black book of lies in his palm.

The pages of the book opened by themselves, gleaming with a faint light, as if countless whispers were pouring out from within.

Each page turned brought with it a chorus of whispers, as if countless unseen beings were lying at the same time.

"first step."

Si Ming's voice was deep, and his gaze behind the white clown mask was chilling.

The pages of the book suddenly trembled, and a phantom image appeared in the air.

The One with a Thousand Faces.

Countless white masks overlapped to form a human figure, coldly overlooking the tomb chamber.

[A true lie].

A strange force field spread out, as if even the molecules in the air began to distort.

"Next, a lie can be amplified into the truth."

"Step two."

Si Ming reached out and placed his hand on the page, his fingertip lightly tracing a line.

The card emitted a low hum, and the sands of time swirled around him, exuding a suffocating aura.

A lie can become the truth.

Simulation – [Eternal Witness].

The tomb trembled, and the singing suddenly rose in pitch, the chants of a young girl and an old woman overlapping, as if they were wailing:
"You were born before I was born..."

"I, Laozi, am not old yet..."

The tomb murals on the wall came to life, with fox and human figures twisting and turning as if they were about to step out of the murals.

Si Ming coldly interrupted everything, his voice echoing in the tomb.

"I will freeze time here."

"Even the insects outside."

"And you-"

He turned his head sharply and stared at Xiao Jinyan.

"We must seize this opportunity to find the true form of the mystery of fate hidden in the tomb and destroy it."

"We only have one chance!"

Xiao Jinyan tensed up, his Adam's apple bobbing, and nodded emphatically. "Understood!"

The God of Fate raised his hand, placed his index finger to his lips, and murmured, his voice carrying an undeniable authority:
"A lie can become the truth."

"Eternal Witness".

"A Thousand Years in a Glance—Fifty Times the Effect!"

boom!
The Book of Lies suddenly burst into flames, and light and sand surged forth together.

Si Ming's other hand suddenly pressed down on Xiao Jin Yan's shoulder!
In an instant, sand and gravel swirled wildly, and light enveloped the entire tomb chamber.

The air suddenly froze, and the low murmur of time was abruptly cut off.

The world stood still at that moment.

The band of light from the sand and gravel fully unfolded, and the world froze instantly.

The rumbling in the tomb abruptly stopped, the dust swirling in the air froze in mid-air, and even the tiny water droplets seemed to be nailed to the spot.

The roar of the swarming insects was also cut off, and the dark mass of Time Insects froze outside the tomb door, their silver carapaces gleaming coldly, yet devoid of movement.

Time stood still.

Xiao Jinyan's heart suddenly tightened.

He looked down at Si Ming beside him and saw that the other person was also still, holding his shoulder.

The white clown mask reflected a bizarre smile in the light, but behind that smile lay a chilling change.

Even in that eternal moment when time stood still, the face of the Fate Master was still aging rapidly.

Mottled white strands appeared among the black hair, the muscles of the cheeks were dry and sunken, and the lines at the corners of the eyes looked as if they had been carved by the knife of time.

This is the backlash of time.

Xiao Jinyan instantly understood that the so-called "only one chance" was not an empty promise.

If he fails, the God of Fate will be completely swallowed up in this torrent of time.

"Only I can move..."

The boy took a deep breath and gripped the sword hilt tightly with his fingertips.

His gaze swept across the tomb chamber, his mind highly focused.

The tomb paintings on both sides of the wall.

The originally dull lines have come alive, their colors as if newly painted, and they even emit a faint light.

On the left is a young girl with delicate features, singing softly;
On the right is an old woman with a wrinkled face, reciting in a low voice.

Their singing seemed to transcend time itself, echoing in Xiao Jinyan's mind.

"You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old..."

"I was born before you were born, I grew old before you grew old..."

The image became increasingly vivid, as if it were about to step out of the mural at any moment.

"This is the true nature of the mystery of fate!"

Xiao Jinyan's pupils contracted, and he suddenly drew his sword.

The sword's edge resonated, and the power of its reflection roared forth.

He chanted the incantation in a low, firm voice:
"Sever resentment, but not the soul; sever karma, but not the body—"

"Sever all karmic ties and eradicate all evil deeds!"

boom--!
The [Slaying Karma Sword Domain] unfolded with a thunderous roar!

Countless flying swords emerged from the void, their shadows splitting into two roaring rivers of swords, each piercing towards the murals on the left and right sides.

A deafening roar shook the entire tomb chamber violently!
The mural cracked open instantly, and a blood-like light spilled out from the crack.

"hiss--!"

Two female demons flew out of the mural, one as beautiful as a flower, the other as withered as a stick.

Their faces were also distorted, their eyes filled with hatred and curses.

"You were born before I was born..."

"I, Laozi, am not old yet..."

The song turned into a shrill scream, carrying a soul-wrenching resentment.

"cut!"

Xiao Jinyan roared and suddenly brought his sword to a close.

Countless flying swords whistled through the air, piercing directly through the bodies of the two female demons!
The flames of karma ignited instantly, burning their bodies along the flying sword.

The intense flames consumed their beauty and aging, leaving only the purest hatred struggling in the fire.

"what--!"

The screams were deafening, but they were quickly extinguished by the flames.

The banshee turned into countless ashes, which were scattered into the air of the tomb by the wind of the sword.

The tomb chamber fell silent.

The vibrant tomb murals crumbled into ashes in the firelight, and the cursed song abruptly ceased.

Only Xiao Jinyan's sword domain continued to resonate.

He gasped for breath, gripping his longsword tightly, cold sweat rolling down his face.

"it's over……"

He murmured quietly.

The tomb painting shattered completely, and the singing abruptly stopped.

The invisible line of time that cut through the tomb chamber also collapsed in an instant.

Time resumed its flow.

The air suddenly relaxed, and the roar of the insect swarm rushed back into our ears, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

"what--"

Si Ming collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his eyes hidden behind the white clown mask, unfathomable.

He forced a smile, his voice low and hoarse:

"Won?"

Xiao Jinyan withdrew his sword domain, the longsword trembling slightly in his palm.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a confident smile curving his lips.

"of course."

"This young master's sword."

As soon as the words fell——

Snapped!
The weakened Xiao Lianyin raised her hand and struck her younger brother directly on the head.

"What are you waiting for? Get us out of here!"

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable chill.

"Quickly, the tomb is about to collapse!"

Sure enough, after losing the mysterious control of fate, the entire tomb chamber shook violently.

The stone wall suddenly shattered, and countless Time Worms rushed into it.

But this time, they did not pounce on the three of them.

Instead, they frantically devoured and gnawed at each other, their shells shattering, and the silver torrents tearing each other apart, as if vying for dominance.

Darkness swept in, and the foundation of the tomb was constantly hollowed out, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Xiao Jinyan's expression turned serious, and his fingers quickly formed hand seals.

"From another dimension—"

He chanted the incantation loudly.

"Chaotic Station!"

Amidst the roar, the outline of a strange building suddenly appeared in mid-air.

It was a small waiting station floating in the void, with steps suspended in mid-air, railway tracks extending into the unknown darkness, and the words on the station sign blurred and indistinct.

The small station was teetering on the brink of collapse, yet it exuded a strange sense of tranquility, as if it were the only refuge in the chaotic void.

"go!"

Xiao Jinyan reached out and grabbed her sister Xiao Lianyin, while using her other hand to pull Si Ming back.

Si Ming staggered, but still forced himself to keep up.

The three figures simultaneously leaped onto the floating station.

- Om!

A flash of white light, and space suddenly flipped.

Their figures disappeared into the void station.

The next second, a deafening roar!

The stone tomb behind them collapsed with a deafening roar, completely swallowed and submerged by the endless Time Worms.

The swarm of insects and the rocks plunged into the dark abyss, never to be heard again.

Only in the depths of the void, a single, flickering station lamp shines alone in the darkness.

The singing stopped.

The girl and the old woman both turned to ashes.

Standing at the virtual station,

Only a fleeting moment of peace.

—The Finale of the Tomb

(End of this chapter)